


Letters to a Privateer

by shipping_express



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: AU where Caroline lives, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied but not explicit sexual content, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of alcohol, Mentions of deadly illnesses, Minor Character Death, Some changes to canonical storyline, mention of off-camera death, more tags will be added as needed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 06:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3886285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipping_express/pseuds/shipping_express
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where everything is harsh and every day is taking a risk, Edward Kenway decides that becoming a privateer may be the only way to keep his wife alive and well in their poverty-stricken existence. But when odd chance and unseen powers separate the two lovers, what will happen to the destiny they have struggled so hard to weave together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Blizzard Blows In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My Kendall](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+Kendall).



> I'm back with some more fanfiction to upload! Sorry for the wait, as I am an incredibly huge procrastinator. Several more chapters will follow this one. I've worked really hard on this and hope you enjoy it--if you do, please leave kudos and comments to let me know what I'm doing right!

            Young love can be such a tricky thing.

            You start with the most confident of feelings and the clearest light, like everything in the world has come into focus through a looking glass. But the second you meet any resistance to your new way of life, the sky starts to muddle with clouds of darkness and doubt. True love, be it infantile or aged like fine wine, knows how to navigate the storms that life can wage on newly joined souls.

            But storms are one thing, and winter is entirely another.

            Storms are brief and fleeting, like the rage one experiences in a bar riot before passing out on the floor. Winter is cold and harsh, enduring past what most people cannot bear and wreaking havoc on those caught in its path.

            England winters are such a thing; they will tear through boarded up walls and leak under doorways like ghostly fingers come to haunt the living. Sleet will rain down like snowy steel and nestle its way into every nook and crevice, causing wooden buildings to rot with encroaching mold. Ice will coat itself luxuriously on every surface it can find until people catch their deaths from it.

            All in all, winter is not a pleasant experience.

            So for a small, poor pair of newlyweds in a poverty-stricken sector of Bristol, England, the steadily nearing winter was a legitimate concern.

            Caroline Kenway stuffed spare scraps of rags into the cracks of her bedroom walls, wedging the rough fabric securely into the little gaps between the boards with pebbles gathered off the street. She’d managed to pick up the rags themselves at a nearby church, despite her lack of belief in all of the parishioners’ worshipping chants and rituals. The cloths would do some good for now at keeping out the wind, and the newly poor woman appreciated them sorely. She’d been used to being well off for so long that marrying a peasant had been quite a trial, but she felt it was worth it, and she was learning more quickly than most how to care for herself and her household even with the lack of money.

            Satisfied for now with her small preparations for winter in the bedroom, she stepped into the side room to check the stew she had slowly simmering over the fire. Her ankles caught the chilly draft that came in under the door, and she shivered as she stirred.

            Even though it was still September, the past year had been hard on those living in the Bristol region. A freak frost had killed off most of the crops farmers had planted from the start, followed by a flood that had ruined half the rest. Even the little garden Caroline and Edward had tried to start together had failed miserably, and they hadn’t gotten anything worthwhile out of all their effort. The months had progressively been getting colder, and even this early in the autumn it was chilly enough to make her fear for the months ahead.

            How could she and Edward possibly keep things going? He was working as hard as he could to make ends meet, but with so little opportunity for him, he was being taken advantage of and forced to work for pay that was below even the small wages his company normally dished out. Edward had been going in for longer and longer shifts, especially the ones late at night that no one would take, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

            Caroline would have gladly worked herself, and to the bone at that, but it wasn’t proper for a lady like her to do so, bitter as she might be about the societal standards. So for now, she committed herself to taking care of their shambles of a home as best as she could. She tried to keep everything as clean and neat as possible, and as winter approached, she worked hard to board up their walls, piece by tiny piece. She cared little if people stared at her for working on the exterior of the home as well as its interior, but in all reality few people in this district cared about matters that small. Everyone here was poor, and they were all trying to make it through themselves. They had only so much time to judge their own kind.

            Caroline sighed and stood up from the stew, sniffing at the pleasant aromas that pulsated from it throughout the house. It was a little more than just broth this time, as she’d managed to scrounge a few potatoes and even a small cut of meat to pad the stew with. She would keep it cooking slowly all afternoon and into the night, both so that her house could continue to be warmed against the chilly autumn day and so that Edward could come home later to a hot meal.

            The sudden drop from wealth to poverty—especially combined with the simple fact that her parents would not aid in providing for her while she lived under the same roof with a peasant like Edward—had taken its toll on the woman. There were dark shadows under her eyes now from lack of sleep and over-exhaustion, and her hair did not shine quite the same as it had when she could afford the products to care for it properly. She was thinner, too, though she had not yet succumbed to portraying a walking skeleton among the living. She was often tired, and she was sorely stressed.

            But her eyes still shined brightly when she was angry or when she laughed, and her smile warmed up her husband’s heart more than any stew could. She was still ready to keep on fighting for survival, and she would give no quarter to her circumstances. Edward admired that in her, and she in him; they worked well together, despite all of the troubles they were facing.

            By the time Edward came home late that night, Caroline was already in bed. She’d wrapped an extra quilt around her core for optimal heat, and she was busying herself by re-reading one of the books she had had in her possession since she was a child. It was one of the few possessions left to her, but she was loathe to part with it, as it was one of the few things that kept her sane waiting on her husband all day.

            “Caroline?” Edward called somewhat drowsily as he walked through the door.

            “In here!” she replied quickly, slowly starting to detangle herself from the blankets. The smell of stew had been taunting her for hours. “Supper’s on the fire, love.”

            Edward found her before she could fully get up, and he leaned over to kiss her fondly. “Thank you, Caroline…but why are you still up? I was hoping you wouldn’t answer…you should have been asleep hours ago.”

            Caroline huffed at him defiantly. “I wanted to wait for you…I’ve missed you so, lately, and I thought we could enjoy supper together.”

            His eyes flashed with sudden understanding, and he shook his head with a sigh. “Caroline, you’ll ruin your health that way…I can’t have you doing that.”

            She stood up with a deviant grin. “Then you wouldn’t leave me here, would you?” She stepped quickly past him to the fire, leaving her husband a little speechless and in the dust.

            “I swear, Caroline, you’re the feistiest woman I know,” he grumbled good-naturedly as he followed.

            “And is that a bad thing, my husband?” she teased back, spooning some stew for both of them and sitting with him at the small table. “I rather thought you liked that in a woman.”

            “I do,” he admitted in a huff, “but I still care for your safety. I don’t want you risking your health for me, do you understand?”

            Caroline rolled her eyes fondly and took a sip of her handiwork. “Don’t you worry about me, Edward; you know I can handle myself.”

            He sighed and took a sip himself, smiling at the good, hot taste hitting the back of his throat and his stomach. “Still,” he replied simply, taking another sip.

            “You always were hot-headed.”

            “What, more so than you? I find that hard to believe, Caroline.”

            His eyes twinkled at her over his bowl of stew, despite the heavy circles underneath them. Her smile warmed his heart a little more than the meal, even though he could see her concern for him hidden deep within the crinkles at the sides of her lips.

            He studied his meal a moment, taking a deep breath. Caroline could tell he was trying to think, and she didn’t dare interrupt him. Something told her an important moment was bound to come up in their conversation.

            “Caroline…” Edward started, his voice catching a little roughly. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for some time.”

            Caroline did not respond, but simply waited on him, her intelligent and cautious eyes not breaking from his own.

            His voice was coarse when he spoke, and it was obvious that his words had been thought and worried over for far too long. “Caroline, at this rate, with the way my work is going…there’s no way we’ll be able to take care of ourselves this winter. I can’t get a job anywhere else, and they…they docked my pay again, Caroline.” He shifted in his seat for a moment, allowing Caroline to absorb the news. “I think I might have found a way to provide for you, but it’s a little…risky.”

            Caroline eyed him carefully, trying to stay calm. It was the third time in the last two months that her husband had had his wages reduced. She knew they couldn’t go on like this, but what solution could he possibly have? “And what is that, exactly?”

            Edward took a deep breath. “You’re not going to like it.”

            “Tell me anyway.”

            “I…privateering makes good coin, Caroline.”    

            “Not this again!” she exhaled with a hiss. “I’ve told you before, Edward, it’s too dangerous to go on such a foolish mission...you’re bound to get attacked or robbed at some point, and what backing would the company have to pay you with then, even if you _did_ agree to do it?”

            “I’ve heard tell that there’s a smaller ship heading out to sea soon,” he explained. “One that’s just going on one mission, to deal with one target. They’re being backed by one of the richest men in England, Caroline, and they need men…I can’t just ignore that kind of opportunity!”

            “Opportunity for what, your untimely death? Edward, you’ll die out there! I really don’t think you understand that!”

            “Caroline, without this work _you_ will die this winter…and I can’t have that!” His voice took on a tone of desperation rather than anger, and he clutched his pained head with one hand. “Please, Caroline, it will pay triple what I’m making now, and just in time for winter…please, we have to at least consider it.”

            Caroline stared down at her stew, no longer hungry for the meal she’d slaved over throughout the day. Her voice was hushed, trying not to give up but failing spectacularly. “I…Edward, you have to understand that while you can’t lose me, I can’t lose you either…we’re together in this, remember? I…I don’t know what I’d do if you went out to sea and I lost you.”

            Edward felt the guilt plaguing his body from the hurt in her voice. He couldn’t do this to her, but he had little other choice. “Caroline...” He stretched out his arm to place his hand over hers, squeezing her tightly. “Look at me. I know that we are in this together, and that’s not going to change…but I need to take care of you right now. You can take care of me later; we’ll do a trade, hmm? But for now…please, please let me do this for you…if not for your sake, for mine. I can’t stand the thought of losing you, Caroline, just like you can’t stand the thought of losing me. But I have this responsibility to you, and I can’t just idly sit and watch this chance to care for you go by.”

            Caroline still could barely reach his eyes. Her words were halting and heavy, pausing every few moments like a horse picking out its path on uneven terrain. “I have responsibilities to you, too, you know. But I know we won’t make it without this opportunity. As much as I hate being persuaded by practicality, damn it all to hell, you’re right.” She sighed shakily, trying not to show the emotions that were raging and tormenting her on the inside.

            “Listen…I know I can’t stop you from leaving, and I won’t try to…but you need to promise to be careful out there for me, because I swear to all that is holy, if you get killed I will personally come and _re-kill_ you in the afterlife, you hear me?” She knew full well her roughened humor was simply a way for her to cover the stabbing pain she felt deep within her chest.

            She also knew that her husband had probably guessed that as well.

            Edward winced a little, but he was able to crack the weakest of smiles in pyrrhic relief. He knew the harshness of what he was doing and how it would affect them both, but he also knew that his wife was no fool. Despite everything, Caroline agreed with him, so he must be doing something right.

            “I promise, Caroline…with all of my heart.”

            She snorted and took a hesitant sip of cooling stew. “Better be with all of your body too, idiot. When do you have to leave, anyway?”

            Edward gulped and looked away, the second punch of the news hitting him as much as it would soon hit her. “Would you be mad if it was tomorrow morning?”

            Caroline froze with her spoon midway between her mouth and bowl. “Excuse me?”

            He swallowed again and hastily stuffed stew into his mouth, praying that if he ate, he’d somehow be let off the hook for explaining anything.

            Caroline lowered her spoon to the table, but instead of being angry, she just sounded depressed. “Tomorrow, already?”

            He nodded slowly, biting his tongue and wishing it would bleed. “Yes, my love…I’m so sorry…but it was such a sudden thing, you have to understand that. There’s nothing I can do about it, or I swear I would.”

            She breathed in deeply, letting it out in a shaky, barely controlled breath. “I know that…I just wish we had more time before that. I’m going to miss you.”

            She watched her husband’s face and eyes soften. “I’ll miss you too,” he murmured with a discernible crack in his voice.

            Caroline shook herself out of her daze, not allowing herself time to mourn just yet. It would hurt too much. “Well, alright then…you’d best be getting some rest now, I suppose…I’m sure you’ll have time to pack in the morning.”

            “Of course…Caroline?” His voice was hesitant, like the first time she’d met him.

            “Yes?”

            “Come to bed with me.”

            She knew it might be their last chance, with a life as dangerous as privateering, and she wanted to show him her love one last time…just in case. Her heart filled at the thought of it, and she was happy to comply—even if she felt a little shy, as if she’d never done it before. There was something about loving her husband for what might be the last time that had the same inner feeling to it as loving him for the first time. The caressing of their bodies and the touches felt as if they were truly new, exploring what had never been marked before. Everything was sparking and popping like a fresh fire, and for a second it dispelled the cold darkness of what was to come.

            Caroline lay in her bed an hour or so later, her husband snoring peacefully beside her. Her heart was a hurricane of emotions that she couldn’t control or understand, and she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to think about the consequences of all of this yet, because if she did, she might force him to stay with her. She knew what had to be done if they were to both live.       

            She had no choice.

            She left the bed quietly and softly, taking care not to wake her husband, and spent the rest of the night stealthily packing his things in the darkness. She left him food for his breakfast on the table, along with his bags, and a note of love from herself. By the time she had collapsed back in bed, it was only a matter of minutes before her husband had to wake up.

            He too left the bed quietly, so as not to disturb his sleeping wife, only to find all of his things packed and ready for him. He staggered a little at the sight of it, and even more so at the note she had left him. He wrote one himself, even though his hand shook with emotion and he was fighting back tears. He already knew the address of his new company, and through it, he hoped Caroline might be able to send him letters from time to time. He would certainly be sending her ones.

            He returned to the bed and kissed her fondly on the forehead, trying to take in every piece of her—her scent, her taste, the way her skin shone in even the dim lighting—before he had to take his leave.

            “Farewell, my love…I already miss you, so much.”

            Caroline heard the words and felt the kiss, but exhaustion had taken over her body too much to let her limbs move in response.

            _I love you, too_.


	2. Visitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone! Here's the second chapter, and I really hope you enjoy it :) Thanks to everyone for all the kudos and comments, I really appreciate them all! Bear with me here, I've got several more chapters coming, and I swear there is a plot to all of this!

            The little house was empty now.

            It had been cold before, but now the shivering drafts no longer came just from the outside world. Thorny tendrils of anxiety intertwined their way around Caroline’s heart as the days passed by in a lonely, completely isolated shack.

            She feared for her husband and tried to imagine where he was and what he was doing, out there on the open sea. Was he sailing under a clear sky, brighter with the sun than England had been the past few weeks? Or was he struggling under the harassment of storms at sea, ropes cutting into his skin and wet rot filling his lungs? Were they under attack?

            She tried not to think about that last one too much.

            She spent most of her days trying to keep herself busy. Since she only needed to feed one person now instead of two, she could make what scraps of money they _had_ been able to save previously stretch a little further. That didn’t mean that it was easy, however. She still had to pay the property fees for their shack, in addition to paying the costs of continuing to patch up the house, get firewood, and manage a food plan. She wound up spending less on herself than on the winter preparations in general, but she didn’t regret that. It was necessary that she do what she could now, before the weather got even worse. The more she prepared for the winter now, the warmer and safer she would be when it finally came.

            That being said, the lack of time and money she was able to spend on herself was slowly draining her. Living all alone, with no hope of her husband coming home even in the dead of night, was slowly crushing her sociable soul. Reading her book at night, under blankets that were just a degree too cold without another body in them, was a horribly lonely way to live.

            So when she finally got her first letter from Edward, she was overjoyed.

            She had been checking every day for one, and when it finally came in, she’d had to look at it twice to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She’d barely managed to even close her front door before collapsing at the table and ripping the parchment open with ravenous fingers.

_My Sweetest Caroline,_   
_My ship’s finally made it to the West Indies! I know it’s been a long while since my last letter, but many ports don’t deliver mail outside the Caribbean and bribing a few captains to send it your way can be more then tiresome at times. I will be able soon to send you money for the winter, and hopefully with that I will be back and with you again._

_Love,_   
_Edward_

            Caroline’s fingers traced lovingly over each swoop and curl of her husband’s writing as she read his words over and over again. She could remember teaching him how to write and spell these very same words, so long ago. He’d never quite gotten the hang of it until she’d taught him how, and now she was reaping the rewards of their effort.

            With shivering hands, she was about to write back, when a sudden knocking pounded at her door. Her head jerked up in surprise, and she was quick to stuff the letter away in a safe place, just in case.   

            “What the devil…” she muttered to herself as she crossed the floorboards to the door. “Who’s there?” she called.

            “Darling, you must let me in!” The voice was instantly recognizable.

            Oh. Wonderful. It was her mother.

            She took a deep breath and swung the door open; like ripping off a bandage, there was no point in putting it off any longer.

            “Mother!” she greeted the woman with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “What a lovely surprise to see you here…but what _are_ you doing here? I thought you and Father were on another sea voyage.” Ever since disowning her, her parents had been doing quite a lot of traveling as of late. As far as Caroline knew, it was for her father’s business—not that she could inquire.

            Her mother stepped into the house busily, her nose turning up slightly in disdain at the house but her energetic nature too active to keep that initial reaction from slowing her down. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed, kissing her daughter on the cheek, “Is it so bad to visit my only child? I’ve missed you so. That nasty salt air drove me out for a walk the second we got back, and who better to visit on a walk than you?”    

            “I’m flattered, but really, you should have sent ahead! The house is all a mess,” Caroline explained as her mother started taking off her extra winter clothing. The woman had never bothered visiting before; what the hell was she doing here now?

            “Oh please Caroline, don’t worry about such trivial matters; it’s hardly big enough to be called a house, anyway.”

            Caroline winced a little at the words, but for once she bit her tongue. “Of course, Mother,” she replied with a hint of subdued aggravation lying devilishly under her tongue. “Can I get you some tea? We’ve got a little left.”

            “That would be lovely, dear. Tell me, how have you been getting on? I heard that no-good peasant has finally left you; have you actually come to your senses?”

            Caroline sucked in a deep breath of chilly air, struggling not to lash out at her mother. “I’ve always been in my right mind, Mother. Edward has left to be a privateer and send me money for the winter, like a good husband. We’re hardly apart, at least not in spirit.”

            She set out the tea as her mother shook her head in disappointment and mild disgust, as usual. “Really, sweetheart, you should have left that peasant long ago. Or better yet, never given him a second glance! No doubt he’ll find some other women out on the sea and spend all the coin he earns on their bodies!”

            “Mother!” Caroline nearly slammed the cup of tea onto the table in front of the woman, barely able to avoid breaking the thing. “How dare you speak of him in such a manner! Edward is an excellent man and a wonderful husband, whether he’s rich or poor—and he would never be disloyal to me!”

            Her mother seemed unaffected and merely shrugged. “Caroline, you know I’ve always been honest with you, even when you were confused…that man’s a no-good worm who charms his way into ladies’ hearts and leaves them. Lord knows you’d be taken better care of by your father and I…why don’t you come back to us?”

            “Mother, I am waiting for Edward, and he is not how you describe him. I don’t need your help; he’ll have plenty of coin for me before winter hits.”

            Her mother sighed, taking a sip of the weak tea and wrinkling her nose at the taste. She pushed the cup farther away from her, not caring for the rudeness of the action. “You’ve always been such a headstrong one, Caroline. It’ll be the downfall of you. But my offer still stands, should you need it…God knows you’ll need it come winter. You are welcome home so long as that peasant rat is not around you.” She stood and started putting on her winter clothing again, turning her smug face to look at her daughter directly. “I must be off, Caroline; it will be getting dark soon. Have a good night, my dear.”

            She left as quickly as she had come, and Caroline made no move to stop her. She practically slammed the door shut behind her mother, locking it for the night by standing one of the chairs up in front of it. They never had been able to afford a lock. She paced the kitchen and muttered under her breath at the atrocity of it all, absolutely livid, before forcing herself to calm down and drink the tea still left on the table. It cost a good price, and she couldn’t afford to waste it—even if her mother had.

            Eventually the remembrance of Edward’s letter floated back to her mind, and she hastened to pull it out. She read it over again, the words soothing her to some extent despite her wrath, and sighed deeply.

            “I miss you so much, my love…don’t fret; I’m waiting for you,” she whispered into the cold, empty air of her home.

            She swallowed back a wave of nausea and placed a hand over her stomach. She was used to the sickness now, although missing her time of the month had been quite a shock for her. When she’d realized she was with child, well…it had been quite a shock. But she could think of no other explanation, and despite her circumstances, the thought excited her. Being pregnant with Edward’s child? She could think of nothing better.

            But being pregnant and revealing it to her husband was another thing. She didn’t know how long the joy would last. What if her health failed, or she couldn’t eat enough for two? She already barely ate enough for one. Even if she could manage to keep her strength up, her child might not. She’d known too many couples who had lost their young ones far too early in after being so excited for them. She could hardly bear to get her own hopes up, much less her husband’s.

_My Dearest Edward,_

_You do not know the joy with which I received your latest letter. I am so relieved that you and your crew have safely arrived at the West Indies. I was worried that you had encountered trouble along the way. I am doing well here; England fares unsympathetic as usual, but it has not yet become unbearable with cold. I have continued to care for the house as well as possible, in anticipation of your return. I look forward to receiving more news from you as soon as I can._

_Your Loving Wife,_

_Caroline_


	3. An Omnipotent Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting everybody! Here's the third chapter, and I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you liked about it in a comment, and I hope you look forward to the following chapters!

            “Bring her in steady, lads!”

            A heavy sun beat down mercilessly upon the crew of the _Aecor_ as the privateering ship glided into port at a small Caribbean island. The sturdy ship had proved itself worthy of the relatively calm weather at port, having survived quite a few storms and dangerous waters up until this point. Now the lady of the seas basked in glorious, sunlit victory as she came to rest and the sailors aboard her hurried to tie her fast.

            Edward hurried to finish his tasks along with the rest of his crewmates, putting all of his muscle into hoisting and tying the ropes required to hold the ship. He sweated in the humid air, the moisture soaking through his clothes and dripping down his neck. The air was filled with the heavy scent of salty waves and the promise of liquor on land, spurring his comrades and him to hurry their work.

            Their quartermaster bellowed at them from the top of the ship to hurry as well, not that they needed any spur to. His clothes were untarnished, and his face was too clean-shaven for a life on the seas. The only reason he got any respect was because he worked with the captain to determine the payrolls, and only the least intelligent of sailors would dare anger such a figure.

            Edward sighed in relief once the ship was safely secure, and he allowed the others to go ahead of him into the small ocean-side town. They had been given two days to do as they wished before they had to sail again, and there was no use in trying to race his fellow shipmates to the pubs. He had more important things to worry about.

            He had received his sweet Caroline’s letter at the last port, but he’d been unable to find anyone trustworthy enough to deliver his reply. Receiving letters through his company was one thing; responding was quite another. His company provided no such service, much to his frustration. And of those who offered themselves as private envoys, most were only out to make a quick bit of coin. It was a risky business to find messengers that could be successfully bribed to actually do their jobs. Edward had his suspicions that most of his other letters had never reached their intended destination.

            He was hoping, however, that the men at this town might be a little different. If he was lucky, he would finally be able to send out his response to his wife’s letter.

            Stepping off the gently rocking ship and onto the all-too-solid land was now a strange experience for him, one that he’d never expected to witness before. It always gave his knees a bit of a start, but adapting was a skill easily learned and definitely required for a sailor.

            He supposed that was what he was, now—a man of the sea. He rather liked the title, save the fact that his lovely Caroline could not be a woman of the sea as well.

            He let those thoughts recede to the back of his mind as he walked along the dusty streets in search of a courier, grateful for the occasional shade of buildings along the way. While his skin had gotten used to the sun’s heat, he himself was still used to cooler weather; he almost found himself missing the fog and the cooler skies of Bristol, but the remembrance of the harsh winter closing in on his wife quickly jolted him back to reality.

            It only took a little while, all things considered, to locate and convince a courier that Edward’s current letter was worth his time. It took a few extra coins to secure the transaction, but Edward considered the price well worth it if it could ensure a response to his wife, even if that reply was long overdue.

            He only wished his quartermaster would hurry up with handing out the last round of wages to the crew, but he was holding out on all of them. The man made excuses, but that was nothing knew. Apparently he was worried about reaching their next destination safely or some such nonsense, so he was holding out on some of the crew’s pay until they made land a few ports away.

            All of it was ridiculous in Edward’s opinion, and every day put more strain on him as he worried about his wife. What if he wasn’t able to get her the money she needed in time? There was nothing he could do to better the situation other than to ensure a quick voyage, but the anxiety still remained, engraved deep into his heart.

            He knew that it would stay there, too, until he was once again at his wife’s side.

            Until that day, he would save as much as he could for her. Getting half-drunk sailors to buy him alcohol and cheap food while they were in town was easy enough, and they’d be so sloshed by the end of the night that they wouldn’t remember the next day. He hated to be so underhanded about it, but he had little choice. Most of his crewmates had only themselves to worry about; he had far more.

            Edward spent the rest of his time at port eating at the cheaper pubs and doing odd work for any willing people he encountered in order to save up more money for his wife. He kept his body fit and his mind sharp, because he couldn’t risk getting too drunk and ruining all the coin he had already put away. For now, he was on a mission, and he was hell-bent on it. He could always relax later, but only in Caroline’s arms.

            “Soon, Caroline,” Edward murmured towards the blinding sun in the sky as he prepared to board the _Aecor_ once more. “I promise, soon I’ll make sure that you’re well taken care of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S., the Aecor is named after the Latin word for "ocean" or "sea", because I'm a huge nerd like that.


	4. A Letter Gone Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. So much for posting things regularly...sorry about the long wait! There are more chapters coming (I swear there are) and thank you to everyone for all of your support. I really hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

_My Sweetest Caroline,_

_I was wondering how it is in England? It’s dammed hot here like the Devil’s own taint and never seems to let up. I miss you dearly my love...every day and night I think of you and wish you the best. I hope you are faring well so far and not frozen over, my love. I wish to see your sweet face again soon. Dammed be this ship and how slow it moves. I wish I could steer it only so we would not go at a snail’s pace. I will send money soon Caroline, I swear._

_Love,_

_Edward_

            Caroline read her latest letter from Edward with fondness and desperation warring in her heart.

            It was mid-October now in Bristol, and Caroline could feel the icy drafts from the outside air splintering her bones even as she lay wrapped tightly in every blanket she owned. Winter had apparently decided to come early this year, and it had come with a harsh vengeance. Its winds were getting worse and worse by the day, scratching at her home’s thin walls like crazed and troubled souls seeking relief from their self-made hell. Snow was starting to blanket the ground thickly, its overwhelming presence suffocating all the trembling life still left underneath its frozen embrace. Caroline was burning through so much firewood in an attempt to keep herself warm that she feared she would run out in a few days’ time.          

            Her child still lived inside her, blessing her with extreme nausea and exhaustion round the clock, but Caroline was still grateful for it nonetheless. She had some hope for both of their lives, but with the way her body was already wearing down, she knew that she was being a bit too optimistic. With winter already invading Bristol and heavy snow reigning down oppressively from the sky, she knew that there was no way both she and the child would be able to survive the weather. Unless…

            She glanced at the nearby fireplace and sighed fearfully, her trembling hands clutching the latest letter sent from Edward to her chest.

            She knew her mother’s offer still stood of a warm, safe place to live out the winter, and as much as she hated it, Caroline feared she might not have any other choice. So long as she feigned disgust with Edward and pretended that they were no longer together, she would have a safe roof to live under during the cold season.

            After that? She had no idea. But for now, it would have to do.

            She made it to her old home a few hours later, bundled up in every scrap of warm clothing that she owned and carrying what little possessions she had in her arms.

            A servant answered the door, expressing surprise at the old mistress’s sudden arrival on the doorstep, and wasted no time inviting her in. Caroline was still shaking the snow off her coat when she heard her mother’s voice trailing down from the grand stairs.

            “Oh Caroline! You’re home!” the woman exclaimed, rushing to her daughter’s side with far too much enthusiasm and helping her out of her coat. “Have you finally come to your senses?”

            “Yes, Mother,” Caroline lied through her teeth, trying not to let her mother’s bubbliness get on her nerves. “I don’t know when he’s coming back…perhaps I don’t want him to. May I please stay with you?”

            “Oh course, sweetheart, of course!” her mother crooned, fussing over her daughter’s hair. “Don’t worry; if that filthy man ever shows his face around here again, we’ll teach him quite the lesson! Your room is just as you left it, darling; why don’t you go unpack? We’ll serve dinner in an hour.”

            And so it was, with a heavy heart and even heavier feet, that Caroline trudged up the grand flight of stairs to the upper rooms.

            Her room really was just as she’d left it—empty and a little cold compared to the life she had preferred having with Edward. Being poor had never really mattered that much to her, despite how difficult it could be, so long as she was with him. In that way at least, Caroline liked a little adventure just as much as her husband did.

            She unpacked what she had with her, laying out some trinkets Edward had given her on her old desk and folding her clothes up nicely on a chair. She had nothing else to unpack, poor as she had become when her parents had disowned her. They hadn’t been able to stand the thought of her being with a peasant for the rest of her life, and while they had not entirely broken off contact with her, they had restricted her from using any of the family’s money.

            She didn’t really mind, though. Their own prejudices were their prerogative, not hers. Let them be that way. Edward had always loved her and not her money, and her parents’ own actions had proven that tenfold. She had been determined that she and Edward could survive adequately on their own and possibly even thrive, and she still believed that.

            If only he could come home.

            Caroline sat down on her bedside with a heavier sigh than intended, the silken sheets still laid out on her bed now feeling too cool, crisp, and fake to suit her tastes. The crinkle of the parchment hidden within her blouse woke her up a little to the real world, and she smiled gently at the thought of her husband. She rummaged in her desk for a pen and a book to lay the paper upon, and she wrote.

_My Dearest Edward,_

_England fares as cold as ever, and the winter has struck here harder than expected. I regret to inform you that I have had to leave our home—I left it as secured as I could—to move into my parents’ house. I have deceived them as to our relationship so that they might take me in, but I assure you it was not an easy thing to do. I wish I could be with you now, in that warm Caribbean sun._

_Edward…there is something else which I must tell you. I am pregnant with our child. I did not want to get your hopes up for its survival by mentioning it earlier, but with my current accommodations I think it safe enough. It has been almost two months now, and while it causes me great pain in the mornings, I am thrilled to be carrying your child. I only hope you are thrilled as well._

_I love you, my husband. Send me more letters soon._

_Your Loving Wife, Caroline_

            When Caroline sent out her letter early the next morning with one of her father’s servants, she was nervously but hopefully anticipating her husband’s response. The tingling in her stomach as she had passed the letter into trusted hands hadn’t been from her child; that much was for certain. She had wanted to tell Edward for so long, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to. Now, she had finally done it—and just in time to soften the blow of her staying at her father’s house, too. She knew Edward has a prideful man, in the best way possible, and she hoped that he would forget about his perceived lack of providence for her in the light of a child on the way.

            What she didn’t realize was that her plans were about to go terribly wrong.

            On the way out of the house, the servant was stopped by Caroline’s father. The letter was quickly confiscated, despite the servant’s good intentions and explanation as to its origin, and the head of the Scott household brought it promptly to his office.

            To be quite frank, Emmett Scott wasn’t very excited to find out that his daughter was pregnant, and he was even less impressed by the fact that she was trying to hide her little love affair from her parents. It wasn’t the Caroline he’d raised, nor the Caroline he had nearly married off to a wealthy and affluent Templar.

            Normally, he would have punished her severely.

            And yet, here was a new opportunity for her to marry his choice of husband for her. She would never do it willingly, but if he could just convince her, with a bit of subtlety…

            “Well, then,” he muttered to himself as he picked up a new piece of parchment and set to work, “Let’s see if we can’t detach the doting couple.”


	5. Shattered Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear these chapters look longer in my Word processor than they do on here, but anyway here's the next chapter and I hope you all like it! Let me know what you think and thanks for your patience in waiting for my updates :D

            The months had passed by harshly for Edward out on the open sea. His privateering work never stopped, and he rarely let himself have time to breathe in between all the moments of chaos and never-ending work. It had been months since he had sent his last letter in October, and he was wondering if it had even reached Caroline at all.

            Perhaps it had, but she simply had not been able to send another herself, or it had been lost on the way in either case? He’d even tried sending her money for the winter, but he couldn’t be sure that it had reached her, either. For all he knew, the damn couriers had stolen the coin. He wasn’t sure of anything at that point, but he’d been on sea so long without making port that there was no way to check or send another letter to be certain. All he could do was put every last ounce of his energy into working to drown the overactive and paranoid thoughts sparking in his brain.

            When they finally did make port some days later, he was the first to jump ship, literally diving off the side to swim to land out of impatience. His fellow privateers let him go; they’d been sick of what they had dubbed “the puppy” pining over his wife for months already, and they were secretly glad for any chance at relief. Even his quartermaster barely gave him a second glance. Edward had been working more than was necessary for a few weeks now, and they were all tired. There was no need to make a fuss over one lovestruck crewmember when they were so close to some well-deserved shore leave.

            Edward took only a little time to shake some of the water off his now soaking uniform before walking briskly down the docks, taking in the fresh breeze of the portside city and appreciating seeing new human faces once again. He had little time for pleasantries, however; a letter from Caroline was the first thing on his mind.

            Fortunately—or unfortunately—for him, receiving that letter was far easier than he had expected. He found a messenger at his company’s designated area within the city limits, and his heart bucked with joy in his chest when he finally felt the worn parchment against his fingertips.

            Instead of the letter meant for him, Edward received the following words, written in a style close to Caroline’s own hand.

            But these words chilled his heart instead of heated it.

_Dear Mr. Kenway,_

_Winter has come early to Bristol this year. Your parents’ house is not sufficient to my needs anymore, and in your absence I have moved back into my parents’ house. I’m leaving you. I see now that you care more for the sea then me. I was not good enough for you. I do not wish you to write me again nor show your face in Bristol._

_Ms. Scott_

            He staggered backwards in shock after reading it and reading again, thinking that his eyes must be tricking him. His mind couldn’t process the words, and his heart couldn’t take the beating. How could this have happened? Surely, this couldn’t be Caroline’s thoughts, but her writing was as plain as day, even if it was weathered with time. Had he really been too late? Had his payments, finally given to him, not arrived in time? Did she really…truly…hate him?

            He supposed he should have seen it coming, with his lot in life. It was just a matter of time before she woke up and realized the poor choice she’d made. She couldn’t live married to a peasant her whole life, and he hadn’t been able to make himself better in time.

            He just wished she hadn’t realized her loss so soon.

 

            Caroline, meanwhile, had only become more pregnant as time went on and as her health improved. While her nausea had slowly receded to more manageable levels, swollen ankles and general pain kept her in bed most of the day. Which was just as well, considering that the weather outside was so atrocious that the only exercise she had access to was strolling about her house anyway.

            She waited anxiously for another letter, but more time than usual passed before she received one. She assumed that there had been some hold up at sea, possibly even a dangerous one, but she kept up her hopes for her husband’s safety and his letter in return. She had faith in Edward, and she was counting on him to stay safe out at sea. She knew he would find a way to reply as soon as possible; he had to reply, with such a monumental letter as hers! She only hoped his reaction would be as positive as she wanted it to be.

            Her heart fluttered in nervous excitement when the servant finally came to her room and handed her a letter in Edward’s hand. Would he be excited over the child she carried within, or would he be upset?

            _Please, please be happy with me,_ she thought to herself as she ripped the letter open.

            The words she read were not the ones she had ever wanted to see in real life.

            They were nightmare fodder.

_Dear Caroline Scott,_

_I am not coming back to Bristol. The Caribbean offers looser women and harder alcohol than I had ever wished for, and I find the idea of coming back to you a bland one indeed. I think I can use my money for better things than a posh woman and her never-ending list of quibbles. I will not be returning to England._

_Edward Kenway_

            Her nausea returned full-force for the next month.


	6. Growing Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately it's another shorter chapter, but there's more to come, so hold on tight! See you in the next update!

            For a while, neither Caroline nor Edward could quite understand the passage of time as they had before. One second would feel like eons, and yet the never ending weeks and months passed by faster and faster as they adjusted to living life apart. They sent letters in reply to the falsified mail, of course, but Caroline’s father was able to intercept them all. His servants had no choice but to obey him over their young mistress, so they had no way of reporting his activity to her or stopping it themselves. They could only watch, in some small horror, as the mistress that they loved most to serve was torn about by the supposed betrayal of her husband and the health-sapping presence in her womb.

            As time passed on and spring started whispering and trickling in at the manor’s walls, their mistress’s depression slowly started turning around. February and March saw Caroline sewing again, a pastime she had quite enjoyed before marrying Edward, but the servants did not whisper of her more secret sewing projects to her father. They all featured ships and seas, the things she daydreamed about when left alone long enough for her mind to wander home.

            She gave birth to her child in June. The baby was a sweet little thing, beloved by every servant in her grandfather’s household and spoiled to the utmost as she grew in age. She was given the name of Jennifer upon her baptism into her grandfather’s faith, despite Caroline’s disagreement over the matter. Caroline had stopped being a practicing Catholic years ago, but convincing her father of such matters was nearly impossible. Fighting the baptism seemed to be too much effort in exchange for too little reward, so Caroline allowed it to happen if only in name. Regardless, the child grew up well loved by her mother and grandmother, if a little shrugged off by a grandfather who had despised the little girl’s father.

            Emmett never was able to achieve setting Caroline up with a new husband, primarily because by his own religious laws, his daughter was still a married woman until Edward died. No annulment could be achieved, and Caroline had used the Catholic laws against him with the most fervent of tongues. She always had been quick with an argument, and hers held strong—even if she thought the religion ridiculous at best.

            Caroline raised her child as well as any mother could, even if she had to do it alone. She was determined not to allow her child to fall behind or be harmed in any way, even if the little one had a unique upbringing. Jennifer grew to be favored by everyone in her household, save her grandfather of course, and she fared well even without knowing much of her father. Every time the young child asked after him, her mother could barely hold herself back from tearing up. Jennifer looked like Edward, though, with her pale golden locks and ocean-sprayed eyes, and Caroline took comfort in seeing a little bit of her husband’s face everyday.

            Still, a part of her waited for him, and she couldn’t help but hope for his return to her life and Jennifer’s one day.

            Meanwhile, Edward had been working furiously aboard the _Aecor_ , storing away the trauma of his wife leaving him into every action he did aboard the privateering vessel. The ship stayed out for a much longer run that it had originally planned on, and it was successful in destroying many pirate ships along the way. Edward had grown steadily more used to the bloodshed he helped cause in the tumultuous waters around the West Indies, just as the rest of the newer privateers had done. The sea veterans laughed at their old naivety at times, but all in all the ship had become a sort of family to each other despite their differences.

            But despite their concern, even the most helpful of friends could not cure Edward’s depressive mood, and despite their worries for him, he kept strictly to himself for far too long. He never slacked once in his work, even going beyond what he was meant to do to extreme limits, which if anything made his fellow crewmates more anxious for his health. Surely he would be on his way to breaking down at any moment if he hadn’t already, but there was nothing they could do to bring up the subject or make things any easier on him. So they watched instead, waiting for the moment he fell if only so that they might catch him in the process.

            They didn’t really have the chance to, however.

            After some time sailing, the _Aecor_ finally met her match.

            She went down gloriously, in the hot light of canon fire and powder kegs, with the sails showering embers down upon the warring humans below. The mast shuddered with the force of a canon ball to its base, and many men met their maker when the solid pillar of wood collapsed onto its own ship. Edward himself had barely been able to survive the whole encounter, and he did so with the blood of his comrades and enemies alike covering his body.  

            Needless to say, that was one of the last straws for him.

            He was captured with the shock of seeing his friends die gruesomely before him frozen on his bloodied face.

            The years passed differently for Edward after that, as he swiftly descended into the depths of piracy following the capture and wreckage of the _Aecor_. Eventually, he worked his way up to becoming captain of his own ship, fondly named the _Jackdaw_ , and became a legend.

            It was then that he decided to send one last letter to his estranged wife, as she had never truly left his mind or heart. They were still married in the eyes of God as well as in Edward’s own, and he couldn’t stop pining after her, even after all this time. He knew he stood little chance at winning her heart back, but after all the work he had done to secure the wealth to provide for her, he dared to hope that she would reconsider.

            She had to.


	7. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day, because I felt like it. Hope you enjoy this chapter, as it's one of my favorites so far. Let me know what you think!

            Jennifer Scott was sick.

            She had been kept in bed for the past few days, despite the little child’s insistent but dwindling protests. She had fallen ill some days ago, beset upon with a fearsome fever that had torn hotly at her flesh, refusing to let her go. Jennifer had barely been able to stay awake, much less move, for the past day or so, and lesions had started cropping up along various parts of her body. The cause of the malady was obvious enough, given that the girl’s grandmother had already contracted and died of a similar disease two weeks ago.

            It was clear enough that the Scott household was being plagued by smallpox.

            Caroline herself still seemed well enough for now, but her child and her father both were showing the symptoms of the disease. Jennifer was farther along in it, but visits from some of the area’s best doctors had convinced Caroline that the girl would live given the right treatment. She was a strong child, even if she was little, and her body was just as stubborn as her will. Combined with the medicine Caroline was giving her, Jennifer had a fighting chance.

            Emmett was having a harder time with the illness, but it was said that he too might live, given that the now older man get enough rest. His wife had not been given the proper medicine to deal with the disease, mostly due to Emmett’s reluctance about the validity of the stuff, and she had passed in her sleep. Now, it was just Emmett, his daughter, and what he considered to be a bastard granddaughter that remained as masters of the Scott household.

            Caroline had been caring for Jennifer and Emmett alike for the past several days, and in doing so she had barely given herself any time to breathe, let alone recover from the draining effort she put into their care. Eventually, one of the servants forced her to take a break, for all intensive purposes shooing her out of the room in order to save the mistress’s health.

            So Caroline found herself roaming the hallways of the manor, trying not to think too heavily on the tragic events going on in the household. Far too much death and sickness had entered her life, both physically and internally, and she wasn’t sure how to combat the ill-willed maladies anymore. She tried to tell herself that everything would work out well enough, but she worried for her child regardless. Her father she cared less about, given his gruffness and general dismissal towards Jennifer, but he had still taken her in when she would have died in the cold winter otherwise. Surely she still had to respect and care for him to some extent.

            She circled around the house again, hoping to be able to sneak in to see her daughter or even her father while the servants weren’t looking, if only to remind herself that the two were still alive. However, the servants had banded together to prevent any of that from happening, and to her frustration, Caroline quickly found herself turned away each time she tried to enter their rooms. She had little choice but to find something else to do with her time, and she honored that time as best she could. She ate and drank to keep her health up, but she did so in small proportions. Her mind was flying with so many different thoughts that they were difficult to sort out, and she really wasn’t in the mood for eating.

            She finally found her restless feet leading her to her father’s old study. Peeking in at the door, she couldn’t help but remember what it had been like to see the room back in its glory days, when she could barely see over the desk and every inch of the office was polished spotless. Seeing the room again brought back fond memories of a time when her father wasn’t so coarse, and she greeted them warmly.

            She stepped inside and toured the office, admiring the little paperweights and trinkets that her father had collected over the years. She had always wanted to play with them as a child, but Emmett had never let her for fear of them breaking. Now, though, she ran a finger lightly among the top of them, removing a filmy layer of dust from their surfaces and smiling at their smooth feel under her touch. She was being awfully sentimental, and she knew it, but she didn’t feel particularly inclined to stop. With all the pain in her life, especially now, she felt she deserved a little bit of fondness in her thoughts, regardless of whether the present reflected that affection or not.

            It was when her hand stumbled upon a wooden box, however, that her mind was sharply awoken from such thoughts.

            “This one’s new,” she murmured to herself, inspecting the ornate object near her father’s desk. “There’s no dust on it, either,” she observed, and her curiosity was peaked.

            Be it fate, or destiny, or perhaps mere coincidence, she found her fingers opening the clasps on the box and lifting the lid, only to find a pile of letters resting quietly within. What were these, and why was her father keeping them?

            Despite everything, her hand found its way inside, and without entirely meaning to, she had drawn out the letter on top of the pile. Mumbling to herself in confusion, knowing that her father wasn’t the sentimental type to keep things like letters, she opened up the parchment and felt her face turn to ash.

            The contents of the letter, short as it was, were as follows.

_Dear Ms. Scott,_

_I know it’s been a long time since my last letter, and though I assume you are past caring about what I have to say to you, I still care about you. If you ever find it in your heart to forgive me, I’m still here. My final address is in Great Inagua._

_Captain Edward Kenway_

            What in the devil had happened?!

            Caroline spent the rest of that afternoon reading through the letters her father had secreted away from her for years. At first she read frantically, her eyes darting over each line and word in her husband’s hand much like a ship rocking dangerously on a storm at sea. The old paper smudged under her fingerprints and was crackled with a tinge of gold from age, but she barely took notice of it. She couldn’t believe all she was reading.

            Letters of love from Edward, started with what romantic plots her husband could think of before dissipating into his typical language of affection for her. Letters that simply let her know where he had been and what all he’d done. Tales of ships and privateers and a man with a black beard, patterns and drunkards and tavern maids, and even a woman dressed as a man who could fool Edward himself. But disturbingly so, most of the letters were ones begging her forgiveness, or her explanation, for some rash or horrible thing she must have said to him.

            She couldn’t make sense of the last bit until she found her own letters buried underneath his. At first she saw the ones she had meant to send, but which apparently had never gotten beyond her door. Then, she started seeing ones that looked like her writing but had never been written by her hand, and she finally understood why Edward had remained so silent to her the past several years. Caroline had always been a smart woman, and putting two and two together wasn’t so difficult.

            It was clear now that her father must have forged a letter from her, saying she wanted nothing to do with Edward; Emmett must have found her first letter upon arriving at the manor and stopped it from ever being sent out by replacing it with his own. Then he had proceeded to write her the fake one from Edward and confiscate their mail ever since.

            So that meant…Edward didn’t know she still waited for him. He thought that she hated him, and that their relationship was through.

            He didn’t even know he had a child.

            For a while, Caroline couldn’t quite think straight. Thoughts whizzed through her head so quickly that she couldn’t address any of the important ones properly, and it was a struggle to even get a grip on reality as it was. But after what seemed like an endless stretch of time wrought with her own chaotic mind, she finally started to see what she had to do. A feeling of calm slowly seeped through her. It wasn’t the absence of emotion, oh no. It was knowing that she could take all of her energy and force it into one narrowed, vital task.

            And that task was getting back to her husband.

            Caroline’s hand was strangely steady with the ink as she composed her last letter, and she sealed it carefully with her own hand. With her father’s cloak and hood to protect her face, she slipped out of the manor and down the hill to the market with purpose. It didn’t take long to find a swift ship and a crew to sail it, nor the right person to bribe. With a few coins from her father’s desk—borrowed as lovingly as possible, of course—she sent the letter quickly on its way, without any interruption from her father’s hands. If she was going to contact Edward, there was no other way to do it.

            When she returned to the house, she was already considering the death of her father, but she knew she had not the heart to carry it out. She was strong, yes, but despite all of her father’s crimes, she still couldn’t find it within herself to kill him. No, that wasn’t her job. Her job, for now, was to care for her child and wait, wait and prepare for the moment when she could flee this place. And she was quite willing to fill out those duties, to the utmost.


	8. Coins in the Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone, and thank you so much for all the positive feedback! Here's the next chapter--things are getting serious now! I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think :)

            It had been many months since Edward had been on Great Inagua, but he had to admit, he was looking forward to returning to the little island that he had claimed all by himself. As much as he had grown accustomed to the rocking of waves beneath his ship’s hull and the salty taste of the ocean breeze, he still maintained a certain affinity for the land. He liked the green growth that rose out of the earth just as much as the way that its sandy beaches shifted ever so slightly under his feet, and it was always a fresh sight after months spent adventuring on the sea.

            Pulling into port was a big celebration for his men; Edward had promised them half a month’s time of shore leave on the pleasant island while the ship was being resupplied and upgraded. He wasn’t sure where they were heading to next, but he thought a large loop around the surrounding areas might bring in more booty to his already abundant treasure. As the ship anchored and his men flooded the docks, Edward stepped off the _Jackdaw_ with a deep breath of clean land air and set off on his own for a little walk.

            He had grown accustomed to walking the island of Great Inagua after years of it being the closest thing he had to a home. The pirate captain liked taking stock of the people who lived there and the general state of things, because it gave him pride in knowing that he had helped create something so thriving and hardy as this little island.

            He had not gone far this time, however, before a messenger came dashing to his side.

            “Captain Kenway, sir! A letter came in to your residence a week ago. I thought you should want to see it as soon as you landed.”

            Edward took the sealed letter from the steward’s hand, lips unconsciously pursed in slight confusion. “A letter?” he muttered, his eyes flickering down to glance at the address on the parchment. “Who—”          

            His words stopped dead in their tracks. 

            The letter was in Caroline’s writing.

            He had barely been able to dismiss the servant before rushing to open the letter with greedy, panicked fingers. Why was she writing him now, after all these months and years of silence? Was she in danger? Had she decided to have one last bite at him out of hatred? Or had she perhaps finally forgiven him? He had no idea, and he both anxiously feared and desperately needed the answer.

            He finally ripped the parchment out into the light, the paper shaking a little in his hands. His eyes had to adjust a moment to reading her writing again before they could finally make sense of the letter with his heart pounding all too loudly in his ears.

 

_My Dearest Edward,_

_I apologize for writing this so late to you, and never fully realizing what went on…my father has been deceiving us both. I fear for how many letters he must have sent you, denying my love and loyalty to you, but I beg you, please know that they were all false. I have not given up on you, and although I have moved to my father’s house, I never intend to leave you for any other. I was led to believe that you had left me for the women and drink of the Caribbean, but now I see such thoughts were false, and they had been written in my father’s hand. He is sick now, and my mother has since passed from the smallpox disease that is invading our house at the moment. I do not think that I shall succumb to it, but…oh, Edward, we have a daughter. Her name is Jennifer, and she is young…and though I meant to tell you of her, my father clearly prevented such news from reaching your ears. She, too, is ill, but she is fighting the disease as valiantly as one could ever expect her to._

_Please, dear one…I know you must hate me by now, with all that you thought I said and might still believe me to have written, but I beg of you to come back to me. Send help to us, if you are still willing to care for your wife and child. We are still at my father’s house, yet he refuses my child any medicine, and the servants cannot continue secreting help in for long. I have sent this letter separately of my father’s help, and I can only pray it reaches you in time. Please, my husband—for I still am yours, even if you are not still mine—come and aid us before it is too late._

_Your ever-adoring Wife,_

_Caroline_

 

            It took several re-readings before Edward could fully grasp what was going on, but by that time his booted feet were already clomping their way down the docks.

            “Vendors, fetch me my supplies, now!” he roared, freeing golden coins into the wind for the quickest provider to snatch up. “Quartermaster, round up the men—and if they complain, find me a suitable crew to sail within the day! We’re headed to England, men!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a side note, since it doesn't transfer well to the site; Edward's handwriting is much loopier and almost frilly compared to Caroline's, whose writing is a lot more pragmatic as it were. I always thought that was an adorable detail to add with text font, but on here I just italicize them both. Thought you might want to know!


	9. Feverish Prayers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short, but don't worry, more is coming! Thanks so much for all your support :)

            Caroline Scott had sent that letter to Edward so long ago that in her fevered state, she wasn’t sure if it had been a dream or reality.

            She had succumbed to smallpox two weeks ago, after attempting to care for her father with any amount of daughterly concern she could muster. Emmett had ruined her marriage and relationship with her husband, that was certain, and it was partially his fault that his own wife had failed to survive the illness, but Caroline couldn’t help but attempt to make up excuses for him in her head.

            This was the man who had held her late at night when she was a mere child, scared of thunderstorms and too large of dogs. He had kept her safe from much of the world before he had turned cruel, and in all reality she knew that he had just wanted what was best for her. Perhaps he had gotten some other disease, of either spirit or body, which made him act this way. Maybe he was confused. Surely he couldn’t just be the filthy, horrible man that he was. There had to be another reason for it all.

            At least, she had told herself that for some time. But there was no questioning it anymore, and giving up on the man who had supported her for so long caused Caroline’s heart to sting with bitterness and regret. Was she doomed to lose everyone she cared about in her life? Not yet, perhaps, as sweet little Jennifer still lived. Caroline could only hope at this point that the resilient child would survive.

            Emmett’s refusal for either Jennifer or himself to receive any medicine, however, was definitely not helping. The servants had been able to sneakily administer some medication for a small period of time, but it hadn’t taken long before Emmett had caught them at it. Those caught had all been severely punished—one even killed—right before Caroline caught the disease herself. Caroline had been in bed the past few weeks, with the last of the faithful servants never leaving her side, but she could feel her body and spirit alike weakening, and there was nothing she could do to override her father’s authority or intimidation.  

            What was the point of continuing to live through this hell? The only thing keeping her alive was the thought of Jennifer, but she hadn’t seen her child in a few days, and she was constantly worried that the servants might keep her child’s death from her should it ever occur. The thought, which occurred far too often, chilled her more than any illness could. Even if Jennifer was still strong, Caroline couldn’t prevent her body from failing under the onslaught of the miserable disease.

            She had been holding out hope for Edward to come and save her, as much as she would have rather saved herself, but now that hope was slowly trickling out of her heart. She hadn’t been able to leave while Jennifer was still sick, and now being bedridden herself, she had even less of a chance at freedom. For all she knew, her husband would never receive her letter, or at least not until it was too late. Caroline was running out of options, and she knew it.

            All she had left to do was to make arrangements with her servants for what should happen to her and her child if she died, and it was the most morbid and horrible thing she had even been forced to write. Caroline had long since stopped being a religious woman, but she found herself praying to every god that might hear her that the chilling document would never need to take effect.


	10. Gales of Sea and Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many new chapters tonight! I hope you enjoy!

            Watching the sails unfurl in a heavy gale and feeling the ship shudder as its proud flags caught the wind could make any sailor feel a rush of excitement go up their spine, but this journey prompted the feeling in Edward and his crew even more so. Harsh whippings of seawater and rain alike abused the skins of the _Jackdaw_ ’ _s_ crew as they hurried to secure the ship’s rigging against the salty storm, their captain’s shouts and steering encouraging them as much as the promise of safe arrival the faster they worked.

            One of the crew, at his turn in the crow’s nest, had called out the sighting of England on the horizon, but that had been before the steadily approaching ceiling of heavy clouds finally ran out of places to go. The deluge had hit so suddenly and so powerfully that the crew of the _Jackdaw_ were forced to react instinctively and instantly, utilizing every ounce of training and experience under their belts.

            But that didn’t change the severity of the storm. Lightning struck the water around them, coming dangerously close to the ship, and the gales nearly whipped the sails right out of their holdings. The pirates clung on for dear life as the ship bucked atop massive waves, and a few were nearly lost to the depths. But somehow, all the crew managed to stay aboard, even if injured or soaked straight through to the heart, and the ship came through to the other side of the tempest.

            The storm had started over land and picked up strength once it made its home over the water, so by the time Edward’s now beaten and battered ship had reached port, the storm had for the most part already passed. The sturdy captain was practically unfazed by the hell they had just gone through, his mind racing with thoughts of his wife and spurring him on through anything to reach her. He made a point to count his remaining men before impatiently diving off his ship and swimming to the docks. He was grateful that he had lost no one in the struggle, but he had more pressing issues to concern himself with that he simply could not ignore.

            And that is precisely how a sodden, stringy-haired pirate captain was seen by local residents running up the hill like the devil itself was chasing him to the Scott household. When a servant answered the door at his furious pounding, Edward barged past him without introduction or hesitation. The distraught servant attempted chasing after the man who was dripping seawater all over the floors and carpets, but the new lad met with little avail.

            Despite Edward’s general disgust for Caroline’s restrictive parents, he knew enough of their miniature manor to find Caroline’s room within minutes.

            But what he was expecting to find inside that room was not at all what he saw when he slammed open the door.


	11. Reunification

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are all enjoying this story thus far, and please let me know what you think!

            “Caroline?” Edward breathed, going slack for a second before his legs found strength enough to stumble into her room. “Caroline, what…what is going on?”

            His love was stretched on her bed before him, shivering and unnaturally shiny with the cold sweat of illness. Her feverish eyes shone in confusion and adoration alike as she struggled to crane her neck up to look at him, breathing hard with the sickness infecting her skin.

            “Edward! You…is that really you? You came?” she questioned, the world phasing in and out for her blurry eyes and blurrier head.

            Before she could get out another word, Edward practically fell to her and hugged her tightly to his soaked body, burying his head in the crook of her neck despite everything and just soaking up her presence.

            “Caroline…oh my god, you’re all right…you’re here…you’re alive…” he whispered, voice cracked and raw with emotion.

            Caroline’s breath hitched as tears came to her eyes, and she let herself be embraced, closing her eyes and allowing her weakened self to be wrapped up in her husband’s capable arms. “E-Edward…I missed you so…I thought…”

            “Shh, I’m here now; I got your letter, and I’m never leaving you again.” Edward pulled apart from her for a second so that his eyes could graze over her entire body from head to toe before pulling her in for a kiss. His lips settled on hers firmly but oh so softly, and she felt herself melt into him as she had the first night of their marriage before pulling away.

            “Edward, you can’t—I—the smallpox…” she tried to get out, feverish tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

            “Shush, you,” he insisted, kissing her quickly again and wiping her tears. “I’m already immune to it. But I never meant for you to get this sick…” His eyes trailed down her body again more slowly this time, mourning the damage the sickness had done to her. “I wanted to prevent something like this from ever happening to you.”

            “This isn’t your fault, Edward; it’s mine,” she whispered a little hoarsely, smiling gently at him and taking in how his eyes looked so much like the sea. “I’ll be alright.”

            “That’s a lie, isn’t it? That’s a bloody lie, Caroline; don’t think you can get that past me.” Anxiety filled him up to the brink all too quickly, and he whipped around to one of the servants immediately. “Has a doctor been to see her?”

            “N-no, sir,” the poor servant stammered, “The master of the house hasn’t allowed—”

            “Then get one in here immediately!” he roared, cradling his love protectively. “She needs one right away, can’t you see that?”

            “But the master—”

            “Sod what the master said! I’ll take care of him. I’m the new master now, and if you don’t do as I say, you’ll see why!”

            The servant nodded and ran out immediately, rushing to get to the nearest doctor in town. They’d had him on file for some time, hoping to get his assistance, and they finally had a safe way to do so with Edward here protecting them from the all too deadly wrath of Emmett. The servants weren’t about to waste any time.

            “It’s going to be alright, Caroline,” Edward crooned softly, wiping some sickened sweat away from his lover’s brow. “I promise, I won’t let you down like I did before.”

            “Edward, it’s alright…it’s too late for me. Take care of our child for me…she’s in the other room, a few doors down…they can show you…she needs you more,” Caroline struggled to get out. The excitement had exhausted her devastated body, and she was slipping away from him slowly now. Her eyes were clouding over and her breath was growing steadily weaker, but she was trying not to show her fear and sadness on her face. She allowed a warm smile to light it up instead, despite her weakness and illness.

            More emotions whirled through Edward than the winds of the storm at sea that he had just fought off, but these emotions were much harder to pierce through than any storm.

            He’d seen a similar face in a Jamaican prison, worlds and lives away from here.

            “Our child…oh god, Caroline, I promise, she’ll be alright…but you’re not to quit on me now, you understand that? Stay awake for me, please, my love…”

            “It’s alright, Edward…I’m not leaving…everything will be fine…” Her eyes were steadily drooping more and more closed with each word. “Don’t worry over me…Jennifer…I’m just glad I could see you again, one last time…”

            “Caroline? Caroline, no! Wake up, please, stay awake,” Edward groaned, shaking her a little and peppering her forehead fervently with little desperate kisses. “Please don’t leave me like this…I can’t have another friend leave me—not my wife, not my only love…”

            “Not leaving, Edward…not…gone…”          


	12. Sails of Hope

            A little child’s stubby fingers grabbed stubbornly at the wheel of the _Jackdaw_ , and little bright eyes blinked hopefully up at its captain.

            “Boat!” the small thing declared with a furrowed brow.

            Edward sighed, managing a grin along with a roll of his eyes, and hoisted the little girl up into his arms. “Alright Jenny, alright…a boat it is, then. Would you like to steer, hmm?”

            “Yes please!” the three-year-old squeaked eagerly, bouncing a little in his grip.

            “Alright, alright,” he chuckled, placing her little hands on the wheel and allowing the young child to pretend to steer his ship. He couldn’t help but smile at how quickly she had captured every man’s heart aboard, and she felt more precious than all his treasure in his arms.

            “I missed you,” he murmured to himself as the little girl tired of the act and hopped down to run around in circles a moment before collapsing to the deck floor. “I had never met you, all these years, and yet I missed you just the same without realizing it.”

            He risked a glance down to his cabin, where his wife had been laid, deathly pale, upon his bed. “I hope I won’t need to be missing you too, my love.”

            He had stolen his wife and child away from their home in England, raging and roaring threats at Emmett as he had done so and even threatening to take the old man’s life. Only the pressing need for treatment for his family and Emmett’s atrocious state of health had prevented him from staining his hands right then and there.

            He had still faced some hardship getting back out to sea, however, given the state of his ship and certain hostilities directed at a highly wanted pirate who had landed so blatantly in the middle of England. But for Edward, all things were possible when they involved his wife, and one way or another, he had managed to set sail as soon as possible. The crew was being kept as isolated from Caroline as possible to stop any potential spread of the illness, and doctors in the Caribbean would attend to them immediately upon landing. Edward wasn’t giving the sickness a chance to ruin more lives.

            One doctor sailed with him, attending to his wife after being promised free passage back to England once they landed in the Caribbean, and several of his crewmen were still fixing odds and ends of the ship, but they were on their way. Fresh stocks of medicine and a better climate lay in Inagua, and if he could only get his wife there in time, she might yet stand a chance of living through the illness. She had nearly died in his arms during their first reunion in years, but the quick acting of her servants and physician had kept her going just a little bit longer.

            Until they made land in Inagua, Edward was attempting to keep himself busy by steering his ship, directing his crewman, and taking care—for the first time in his life—of his beautiful little daughter. He had never been filled with so much joy in the presence of one person, save for his wife, and while taking care of a child so little was extremely difficult, Edward, a captain and king of pirates, found it wildly rewarding as well.

            Jennifer was up and dancing to herself now, her little shoes plopping along on top of the deck and a tiny voice singing some light tune that only she knew. Her face was glowing again with the aid of the doctor’s medicine, and her smile was unmatched. Her sickness had left her resilient body quickly after medicinal care, and her eyes shone as bright as the ocean now instead of the dull, foggy look that they had encompassed previously.

            With her around, the captain could almost feel hope again for the future.

            Edward glanced down at his cabin once again before looking back up at the horizon, anxiety and the sense of urgency tugging at his boots just as much as the wind beckoning the _Jackdaw’s_ sails home.

            “Hold on, my love…I promise, we’ll be there soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why the recent updates are all around the same time, it's for several reasons. One, I'm incredibly lazy and actually have had this written up for quite some time, so it's mostly been a process of editing and uploading each chapter rather than coming up with main plot points, etc. Two, this story as a whole is a gift, and I wanted to get on with finishing that gift already! Thanks for sticking with it, and we're almost there!


	13. Of Beaches and Forevers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the end! Thank you so much to all of you for your support!

            Arriving at Great Inagua’s port prompted a mix of emotions from the pirate captain as his wife was immediately taken to new doctors for treatment and other ones examined his crew. He kept Jennifer close to him through it all, as the child had never before seen so many people nor been used to this kind of heat, and she seemed to be calmed by him. He took great pride in that in the back of his mind, but for the moment he had more pressing issues to focus on.

            He was an impatient man, and the formality of dealing with the possible spread of smallpox with the doctors tested him heavily, but he was finally able to leave his ship with their permission. He had Caroline brought to his house and a personal team of doctors hired to care for her and guide her through the illness. They had not been able to give him much of a prognosis on her chances of survival yet, but he was hoping against everything else that she would indeed make it. The thought of that not happening damaged his mind too much to even dwell on it for long.

            The weeks that passed next were grueling for him; they were mostly just a struggle to keep his mind occupied on anything but the fragility of his wife’s life, but the thought of her could never truly leave him. He put all his energy into caring for Jennifer and keeping the toddler happy, diverting her if she asked any questions about her mother’s state of health and making sure she was focused on more pleasant things. Edward wasn’t about to let her grow up to have this time of her life be swamped in tragedy if he could help it.

            He focused on the house itself as the days passed, realizing that if Caroline did survive, he didn’t want her waking up to a mess of a mansion. He put his efforts into fixing up the interior of the house as well as the gardens outside it, knowing how much Caroline had always loved greenery. If she did survive—and that was all he could think of to keep from destroying himself from the inside out—she deserved a clean, bright living space. The doctors present were grateful for the work he did, simply because it meant that he had to take care of himself adequately or not be able to complete his work. Otherwise, they feared we might succumb from grief.

            The work took him relatively little time, and Jennifer enjoyed “helping” him weed the gardens—by pulling out the littlest flowers, of course—as well as paint the exterior walls. She was so excited to place a little colored handprint of her own on the wall next to the main doors, despite how appalled Edward was at the splattering of paint the child got all over her new clothes.

            A couple of weeks later, the house was finally finished to Edward’s satisfaction and Jennifer had gotten used to the Caribbean humidity. Caroline, as the doctors reported, had been steadily inching her way towards recovery, and all the hope and positive thinking was making Edward’s heart far lighter than it had been for months. Jennifer had been getting steadily more restless as there was little work left to do on the house, so Edward decided to get her outside for a change. The sunny weather matched his mood, and she was more than happy to get to wear her new sundress and go to the beach.

            The welcoming sun stroked Edward’s face warmly as he peered out into his front yard through the breezy, sunshiny day. Gently waving leaves and flowers from the gardens blended in nicely with the look of the day, and he couldn’t help but smile at his handiwork. Even the patches where Jennifer had dug out a few flowers looked endearing.

            Now, as he took a deep breath of ocean-scented air, he felt the coiling muscles in his stomach relax as the almost tropical weather calmed his nerves.

            “Come along, Jenny,” he spoke softly to the little child at his side. “Would you like to go and play at the beach?”

            Jennifer’s eyes widened in unrestrained excitement, and she squirmed her tiny hand out of his own to start tottering down the trail on little legs.

            “Yes please!” she practically sang, her new favorite dress flowing out behind her as she made her way down the path.

            Edward chuckled and jogged to keep up. “Wait for me, then!”

            The pathway to the beach was not entirely a long one, and they reached a small, secluded section of it within minutes. Jenny was already sitting down and forming a small ship out of sand, reaching to grab seashells and twigs with which to adorn her tiny creation. She was smiling and laughing as she did so, and Edward couldn’t help but feel his heart lift at the sight. Maybe he had done something right with his life, after all.

            He stood watching over her, as she seemed more than content at the moment and he didn’t want to spoil her creation. His thoughts still danced around his wife, however. He hadn’t been allowed to see her very much under doctor’s orders, and he had only been allowed in to see the various progresses she was making. It had always been difficult to make him leave.

            He was reflecting on this when he thought he heard a quiet voice come from behind him. It was a familiar voice, whispered and almost hoarse.

            “Edward?”

            He wasn’t sure what to expect when he turned to face it.

            “Caroline?”

            Caroline stood behind him, a small smile on her exhausted face and a billowing, light dress protecting her now thinned figure from the sun, but that same bright light in her eyes assured him that it was really her and no mirage.

            “Caroline, you’re…you’re here! What are you—?”

            Caroline stopped him with a small giggle and a tender stroke of his cheek. “Shh, Edward,” she whispered with obvious exhaustion still traced in her voice, “I’m still sick…but I was feeling better, and I wanted to see you and Jennifer.”

            His arms were already around her, supporting her, and he was torn between kissing her and hugging her without ever letting go. He settled on both, drawing her in close and kissing her deeply for the first time in so long. Her taste on his lips was the same as he remembered in his dreams, with only a few light flavors changed, and he wanted to drown in it all.

            “I missed you…oh dear gods I missed you…I thought you were going to leave me,” he murmured in between heavy, breathy kisses that took up the rest of his attention.

            “I missed you, too,” Caroline’s slightly weaker voice replied as she happily allowed her husband to envelop her. “I never realized—I’m so sorry…”

            “Shush, nothing is your fault,” he insisted. “I should have known that wasn’t you in that blasted letter…I should have come back sooner.” He pulled away from her just enough to take her image in again before desperately kissing along her jawline and forehead. “I’m sorry I didn’t, but I’m here for you now. I’m not going to leave you, ever again.”

            Caroline chuckled in pleasure at the affection and held his chin long enough for her to get a proper kiss of her own in. His lips were rough, but they were so warm. “Of course, my love. I’m not going to leave you, either. But I’m still a little weak…”

            Edward snapped to action immediately, picking her up and carrying her bridal style over to where an oblivious Jennifer continued playing. Caroline couldn’t help but giggle at the action, tired and weak as she was. Jennifer, alerted by the noise, looked up to see her mother and ran to her with little toddler shrieks of joy.

            As Edward watched his family interact happily together, he knew that everything until now had been worth it. Every ounce of pain, every night where his tears mixed with rum, and everything he had had to endure to get them back, was nothing but mist to him anymore. All of his regrets and stupid decisions blurred away, because so long as he had Caroline and Jennifer with him, he would be happy—happier than he had ever been even on the sea.

            And finally, after years of loneliness and letters, they both knew that everything was going to be all right.


End file.
